LSU Heisman QB Jayden Daniels Is A Top 3 Draft Pick, But Still Should Be At Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Alabama – ESPN NFL Draft demigod Mel Kiper already has Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels of LSU going to the Washington Commanders with the second pick of the NFL Draft on April 25 in Detroit. USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman in 2022, is expected to be the first pick by Chicago.

So, on paper, Daniels does not need to be here this week at the Senior Bowl – aka the five-day NFL Draft convention. He could have the greatest Senior Bowl week in the 75-year history of the game and probably not get picked before Williams.

But there is a lot of time between now and late April for him to mysteriously fall, which has happened. And what would it hurt for Daniels to play football for a few days in front of virtually every NFL eye there is? Well, he could get hurt, but not likely. They take care of the quarterbacks here. And the focal point of this gala talent watch party for virtually all 32 general managers and coaches and countless personnel executives are the practices and the job interviews, not the game on Saturday (1 p.m., NFL Network).

Jayden Daniels Could Be ‘Connecting With NFL World’ Pre-Draft

"Just the opportunity to connect with all these people," Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy told OutKick. "I mean the whole NFL world is down here. We’ve got probably 29 or 30 GMs, 25 head coaches – the guys who are going to be making the decisions in April. The draft is a relationship deal. And if you pick a quarterback high in the draft, you should know that."

Nagy extended the invite several weeks ago to Daniels in Baton Rouge and followed up with Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson.

All I can say is he’s not here," Nagy said. "I don’t know where his mind is at with it."

LSU's Jayden Daniels running ability sets him apart from many quarterbacks for the NFL Draft. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Daniels does not yet have an agent. Sometimes, agents recommend the Senior Bowl highly to their clients. For someone as highly projected as Daniels is, though, an agent likely would not instruct him to be in Mobile.

Not going to the Senior Bowl last year, for example, did not hurt Alabama quarterback Bryce Young or Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. They went 1 and 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Missing it may have hurt two-time national champion quarterback Stetson Bennett of Georgia. He went in the fourth round to the Los Angeles Rams despite a well-publicized arrest in Dallas for public intoxication the Sunday before the Senior Bowl.

So, without the arrest and a week in Mobile instead, who knows? He could have gone in the third round.

Daniels is clearly not this year’s version of Bennett. He is viewed as a definite top five or top three pick now. CBS Sports’ mock draft has him going as the third pick of the draft to New England after Williams to Chicago and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye to Washington. Yahoo’s mock draft also has him going to New England.

OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske also has Daniels going to the Patriots in his mock draft.

"He’s my No. 2-rated player overall behind Caleb Williams," NFL Draft expert Mike Detillier of WWL Radio in New Orleans told OutKick Thursday. "Can’t get too much higher than that. His talents as a passer, play extender and runner are off-the-charts outstanding. He’s accurate, has a great work ethic and mental and physical toughness, focus and leadership skills."

Jayden Daniels' Running Ability Fits The New NFL

Daniels won the Heisman Trophy over Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix because his passing numbers either surpassed them or were close. But it was his running ability that put him over the top. Daniels rushed for a net 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards a carry.

Penix and Nix are both here, but neither are considered sure first round picks. Some do not have them in the top 32. USA TODAY has Nix going at No. 12 to Denver. CBS’ mock has Penix going as the 13th pick to Las Vegas.

So, Daniels has chosen to stay in the clubhouse with the lead along with Williams.

Daniels, though, had first round help toward his gaudy passing numbers – No. 1 in the nation in efficiency at 208.0 on 236-of-327 passing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. LSU wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. are both slated for the first round. No other program has two wide receivers expected to go in the first round, according to most mock drafts. Did those two make Daniels look better than he is, or the other way around?

The NFL now likes running quarterbacks more than ever, but Daniels is still skinny at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. What is the injury risk?

Those and more questions could have been answered or discussed this week had Daniels made the three-hour drive from Baton Rouge.

"You’ve got to know these guys inside and out," Nagy said. 

Several High 1st Round QB Picks Have Played In The Senior Bowl

And Daniels would not have been the first high first round pick to play in the Senior Bowl.

In 2018, the very first pick of the draft played here. That was Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma. He barely worked up a sweat in the game, completing 3 of 7 passes. But he was there and looked particularly good in the daily practices.  Cleveland took him with the overall first pick. 

Josh Allen of Wyoming also played in that Senior Bowl, completing 9 of 13 for 158 yards and two touchdowns and rushed five times for 19 yards. Buffalo traded up to get him with the seventh pick of the first round. 

In 2020, Justin Herbert of Oregon completed 9 of 12 for 83 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers took him with the sixth pick of the first round.

Maybe those quarterbacks would have gone as high without playing in the Senior Bowl. Or maybe they would not have. Coincidence, or the Senior Bowl is true to its slogan - "The Draft Starts In Mobile."

"At that time, no one thought Baker would be the first overall pick," Detillier said. 

Precisely my point, sir. Perhaps Baker's Senior Bowl week put him over the top. One mock draft in January of 2018 before the Senior Bowl had Baker as the third pick of the first round to the New York Jets.

Another mock draft before the 2018 Senior Bowl had Allen as the 11th pick of the first round to Miami. Both improved their stock.

Of course, maybe they did that at the NFL Combine. Some quarterbacks and their agents prefer the Combine in Indianapolis each February to show their wares. But the Combine tends to be a track meet and a beauty contest. The Senior Bowl is much more similar to a typical game week than the Combine, and there is more hands-on coaching and interaction with the coaches. Hospital visits for meticulous injury evaluations take up much of a player’s time at the Combine.

But forget what the Senior Bowl can or can’t do for a player’s spot in the draft. It's more than that. If the players are not careful, they might learn something. NFL coaches do tend to be better than college coaches. That’s why they’re there, and that’s where Senior Bowl players are going.

And despite all of Daniels’ passing talent, he is still seen in some circles incorrectly as a run-first quarterback. He could have been dispelling that myth all this week. He also would have been having a hell of a time while competing.

"If I were him, and someone wanted me to go throw the ball in a parking lot, I would do it," Nagy said.